Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

I will continue to outline what RTE has to say about it, arising from the discussions and some of the clarifications we sought from it. This will tie in with the planned provision of the new RTE international television channel and freesat from early next year and will represent an extension of its radio service in the United Kingdom.

In respect of emergencies, to which a number of Members referred, it is important to provide for emergency broadcasts over different broadcasting platforms and technologies. This is important for a variety of reasons. All Members will agree that relying on a single platform for emergency broadcasts is not secure as it could fail or be subject to interference or sabotage. Listeners listen to radio over an ever-increasing range of platforms and the main platform is FM. However, there is an increasing number of listeners over the Internet and satellite.

I also wish to make the point that Sky satellite and the long wave 252 frequency are the two principal ways to hear RTE radio in Great Britain. Sky carries all four radio channels and serves listeners on satellite throughout Ireland, Great Britain and the Continent. The long wave 252 service broadcasts RTE Radio 1 on a single frequency throughout Ireland and, by overspill, into a wide area of Britain. By the end of this year, RTE plans to introduce a new international and existing radio service at freesat. The coverage provided by freesat will be the same as on the existing Sky satellite service. The difference is that freesat is not a subscription service. Its users only will pay the once-off costs of a dish and the setting up of a receiver. RTE's four radio channels will form part of this extension of service to Irish audiences via freesat. For both television and radio audiences, this constitutes an important step forward as it will provide a television service and will extend the availability of radio at a cost that is both reasonable and non-recurrent.

Consequently, I am not in a position to accept the amendments as proposed by Members. However, in view of the correspondence to which Senator O'Toole referred, there is a need for some clarification regarding this matter. While I cannot provide such clarification to the House at present, I will take up this matter with RTE and have it clarified at the earliest opportunity. However, I am not in a position to accept the amendments as proposed.